Behind Enemy Lines
by Commander Starforge
Summary: All contents belong to Games Workshop and the WH40K universe is their property and not mine. A lonely Imperial guardsman survives in a city filled with Chaos after the destruction of his squad. He is forced to fight from the shadows to find out how he can survive, and get out alive. Please rate and review.
1. Heresy Grows From Idleness

"Heresy grows from Idleness." I said and left my hiding place. My gun was loaded and my mind was as sharp as it would ever be. Cultists were still searching for any survivors in the tall office building I was hiding in, but they would be no match for me. Looking out of the window I saw the black sky filled with smoke as red lights danced across the thick clouds. In the distance I heard Basilisks and Lemann Russ tanks battling Chaos Predators and Defilers in a massive firefight of mutual destruction. As I looked out onto the ruined street I saw a military convoy passing by on the street a few hundred meters below me. Chaos Astartes, demons, traitor guardsmen and cultists were wrestling with the Imperium for control over the continent. Some damn cult had managed to open a small portal to the warp, and from it there spewed forth abominations and traitors. Now we were fighting to contain and exterminate the cult and the demonic incursion.

I carefully stepped forward with my rifle shouldered. I steadied my breathing and calmed myself as much as possible. The sheer emptiness of the hallway scared me. Doors leading to empty rooms were placed with regular intervals on the dull gray wall. From time to time I passed motivational posters with guardsmen, various quotes, slogans or the Emperor himself. I quietly slid into an office with my lasrifle ready. Quickly I swept every corner before I rushed forward and checked behind a big wooden desk placed on a red carpet in the centre of the room. A mug with recaff still stood beside a holo-pic of a young girl and a boy and some papers that were waiting to be signed. Many offices were like this. Empty and abandoned as if everyone just stood up and walked out.

"Keep calm." I said to myself and walked out of the office. My heart always started racing whenever I cleared a new office, and it got little time to calm down again before I walked into a new office. Looking out of the window I saw that the convoy had passed, but I could still see the last few soldiers at the back. If I took careful aim I would be able to hit one of them, if not kill one, but that would be risky. I sat down in a crouched firing-position and took off my backpack. I had taken my scope off earlier today, when I had been moved down into the streets to fight there instead of being in a supportive position up high. I took it out of a pocket on the side of my backpack. It was a standard scope that enlarged everything four times, and it wasn't very advanced since it only used a small battery to make the red dot in the centre of four crossed lines. I slid it on the rail on top of the rifle, but did not fasten it properly since there would be no need for it and it was only a waste of time. Shouldering my rifle again I took aim at one of the Chaos soldiers at the back of the formation. He wore flak armour like mine, but his was coloured red instead of grey. "A soldier of Khorne." I whispered and moved my rifle so the red dot was in the centre of his back. "Skulls for the skullthrone." I whispered in mockery and spat in disgust. Then I pulled the trigger.

The recoil hit my shoulder as the yellow beam hit him on the upper right side of his back, and he fell down on the road. His body was shaking as he fought to breathe.

"_I must have punctured a lung_" I thought as I watched in fascination_._ I stayed completely still as I took aim for another soldier. He too wore red armour, but was slightly smaller than his dead comrade. He was around 1.70 centimetres high and quite thin. It did not take long for the formation to disperse and take cover behind ruined vehicles or in ditches and craters. Blood was pouring out of the hole I had shot through the traitor as he lay face down. He seemed to be struggling, and it was clear that he was still alive. I would not grant him the mercy of a swift death. Instead I took aim at one of his friends who was foolish enough to not be in complete cover. Taking a second shot would be risky since the enemy was on the lookout for the next shot, so I sat quietly and waited.

I could almost hear the echo of my breath, but that was probably just my imagination. Hopefully no cultists in this building had heard my lasfire, but I was unsure since I heard careful steps on the floor above. Perhaps they were just making their way down in a careful manner. After all it was not unlike the cultists to be afraid of the imperial guard. I kept my aim at the same target as before. Most of the men were at ease, but the more careful ones stayed in cover. Though they did not know where I was so their use of the cover was highly ineffective. My scope swept back and forth from group to group in a search for soldiers looking in my direction. I breathed carefully and listened. The footsteps were directly above me now. If I fired now then the cultists would hear me, and I would be severely fucked. I brushed some of my brown hair out of my right eye and started searching again. Another option was wrapping my barrel in my uniform to hide the flash and then just shoot the floor above me. Hopefully I would hit someone hostile and take them out of action. I decided not to shoot as I heard the footsteps moving away again towards the other side of the building.

I lowered my rifle and walked towards the stairs as silently as possible. Someone else was in the building, and if that someone was an enemy then they had to die. "Suffer not the heretic." I whispered as I entered the flight of stairs. It was dark since the power was out, but I saw with relative clarity. I had a flashlight, but to turn it on could result in my death and I did not want that one bit. My muffled steps echoed as I ascended the stairs to the floor above. The darkness was frightening and oppressive. I kept my rifle trimmed at the door above. I pulled the scope off as silently as I could. It would only be a problem since I was fighting in close quarters and not large distances like I was used to.

This floor was like the one below: Empty and with door opposite of the windows. I kneeled as I aimed down the hall from the cover of darkness. All the posters had been torn off the wall and were strewn across the floor. I switched my rifle to full auto as I heard several footsteps this time. They echoed down the hall. From the amount of steps I heard I guessed three persons and one of them was limping. I raised my rifle to my chin and took aim as a door opened slowly. The door creaked slightly, but in the silence it was really loud. My heart was thumping as I tried to steady my breath.

My sweat hands gripped the rifle as three people came out of the room. Two were walking normally and one of them was supporting one with a bleeding leg. They were all dressed in robes of purple silk and shoes of fine leather that was expertly made for comfort and silence. "_Slaaneshi cultists!_" I swore, and squeezed the trigger slowly backwards. I took aim as they slowly sneaked down the opposite side of the floor. I saw the barrel of something that looked like a plasma-gun and the limping cultist carried a pistol made of unknown making. Diverse sigils covered their backs and the visible parts of their weapons. The one that was most visible was the eight pointed star of Chaos painted in black on their backs. "Die you scum." I whispered to myself as a volley of lasfire ran through their torsos. The once beautiful and comfortable silken robes were now covered with scorched holes where I had hit them. None of the cultists made a sound as their dead bodies fell to the ground. My breath was shaking and so were my hands. I could almost still feel the recoil against my shoulder even though a few seconds had passed, and I had stopped shooting. Coming to my senses again I registered no sounds of alarm from anywhere else in the building or out on the street. I kept my rifle trimmed down the hall as I lurched over to the window and snuck a peak outside. The column had started moving again, leaving the dead Khorne-worshiper behind.

I got my scope out of my bag again and mounted it on the rails. "For the Emperor." I whispered in reverence as I took aim. My god sitting on the Golden Throne would surely be proud of my service. "Suffer not the heretic to live." I whispered a little louder and squeezed the trigger down once again. It felt slippery under my fingers. My gloves didn't cover the outermost joint on my finger. I stilled my breath as I marked my target. The four crossed lines found their place on his back, but judging from his long black hair I guessed that he was a she. No matter. It had to die. I pulled the trigger all the way back and the beam penetrated the back of the troopers flak armour.

It had indeed been a she, and she was a screamer. My shot had left her alive, but I had probably perforated her left lung and gargling mixed with screams. She could still be saved by a good medic, but I would not risk another shot. The soldiers down below were now shooting randomly at buildings with their las and slugger weapons. Many of the shots went far too high or low and not a single shot landed within fifteen meters of me. I took the scope off again, but just put it in a pocket in my tactical vest. It weren't standard issue, but rather one I had made myself. It featured two hooks along the zipper on the left for grenades. Beside that again I had a pocket for batteries, small rations or other small usable items. Below that I had energy-cell pouches. They were arranged in a square; two pouches across and two high. They were all filled at the moment since I had taken the liberty of "relieving" my dead friends of their ammunition. On the right I also had four pouches for ammo and they were filled too, but I had one of the pouches filled with cells for a laspistol in case I needed them. Above that I had another pocket for usable items and four holders for shotgun-shells which I had absolutely had no need for as of yet. Down on the left by my hip I had a pistol holster and a shotgun holster as well. I felt really silly walking around with all those empty holsters, but it was better to have them than not. Also my knife was sheathed on the outside of the holster for the pistol.

The scope went into my right pocket and I advanced down the hall again. I closed in on the corpses now and made sure that they were not twitching. Many guardsmen's lives would have been saved if they had only waited and watched if the downed cultist was breathing or not. Deciding that they weren't I wiped a slick strand of hair away from my forehead and started walking again. A single lasbeam hit my former position behind me, but that was the only fire I saw hitting my floor. Then something startled me. I heard a single muffled breathing from the room the cultist had just come out of. "_Another one?_" I thought as I swung my rifle towards the door. "_The Emperor protects._" I thought to myself. I almost warm in my chest as I cleared the right corner of the room from my position in the hall. My faith in my god was probably the only thing that kept me fighting now. I could always have survived as a coward and hidden away, but my faith had led me here. The room had pictures on the grey dull walls, but nothing else made it remarkable. I could see the corner of a similar desk I had seen below. I checked below it and saw no one hiding behind it. I unsheathed my knife with my left hand and kept it in a reversed grip as I supported my rifle on my forearm instead. Taking a deep breath I rushed into the room.

The sight that met me surprised me deeply. "I surrend..." was the only thing the traitor managed to say before my foot collided with her stomach. She lost all breath and adrenaline took me as she bent forward to gasp for air. What I could see of her face was all red as I brought the stock of my rifle down on the back of her head. The brunette went straight down and continued her fight for breath on the ground as I took a quick look around the room with my rifle pointing at her neck. I could see her fair skin in the crack between the collar of her grey uniform and her helmet. The stripes of a sergeant shone on her left arm. Rage, disgust and shock churned in my stomach.

"Sergeant Vicker?" I asked in disbelief at the figure at the end of my barrel.

She was still gasping for air when I rolled her over with the sole of my boot. The face of my squad sergeant looked up on me from the ground. Her blue eyes were desperate and her face red with the lack of oxygen. The nostrils on her sharp nose were flaring and her white teeth would have been shining if there was any sun. Her usually red lips now looked almost like her skin. I took a few steps back and let her catch her breath. It was never a good idea to stand with your barrel into the face of a fast enemy. Before you knew it she would have grabbed my barrel and hit me hard in the face. It took her a few seconds, but after that she eyed me carefully and tried to stand up.

"Stay down!" I barked at her, not even giving an effort to hide my disgust and anger. She took the hint and lay down on her back again with her brown eyes fixed on me and my rifle.

"I thought you died." She simply said sounding a little sad.

"I am alive, but the rest of the squad is dead. Just like you should be!" I spat the last five words at her.

"If you had been smart enough to run like I said then they would still be alive." She countered. "If you hadn't held your position like the zealous soldier you are then the lives of your squad mates would have been spared." She went on, sounding angry now. She scowled at me now and I was taken aback.

"How dare a traitor like you speak to me like that?" I replied angrily and thought back to our last stand.

_A few hours earlier Garland Square_

"GRENADE!" I yelled as I threw the explosives at the rushing cultists and jumped back down into the crater.

"R2P1S3, is requesting reinforcements at the eastern edge of Garland Square. Large amounts of cultists inbound, and our sergeant is dead." Guardsman Michael yelled into the Vox. He was our Voxman, and was thus excluded from the fighting at the moment. Apart from that we were fifteen guardsmen holding the enemy back.

"Get the Bolter firing again!" I yelled to a man named Carson as he lay struggling with a new belt to put into the bolter he had been issued. It had a bipod and was using slugger ammunition. It was a standard for the airborne troops, but we hadn't gotten here through air. A bitter fight had gone on in the city for days now, and we had been here all along originally to rest and bring the regiment to full strength again.

"Five moving on our left flank!" The female voice of Guardswoman Kristina informed me and I shifted my aim to the left. Five enemy cultists were rushing three of our guardsmen in cover there. The enemy used crude laspistols and one was wielding a shotgun. Their black robes were covered in symbols of impossible designs and made my head hurt as I took aim. My heart was beating up my throat as I fired a shot and a cultist went down with a smoking hole in his chest. Two more were taken out by a las-volley from the crater they were storming. The one with a shotgun loosened a shot that showered my men with dirt as they took cover. I could clearly see a small piece of shrapnel bounce off a guardsman's helmet. I fired two shots this time and the shotgunner went down as his hands frantically tried to stop the bleeding in his neck and throat. The last one could be considered lucky that he made it to the trench, but he was met with a pair of bayonets and the worst damage he did was to bleed on his enemy. I aimed forward again as the slow DAKADAKA of Carson's bolter started firing again.

"Ammo report!" I ordered as I downed a suicide bomber by hitting his explosive charge hanging on his chest. He had been a fool and was standing in the middle of a group preparing to rush when I shot him. They were all consumed in the explosion that followed.

"Four belts left on the Bolter." Carson reported.

"Fifty percent ammo left on the right flank!" Gareth reported.

"Seventy percent ammo left on the left flank!" Kristina reported, and we had around sixty percent left in the central positions. All in all we were set to fight for at least another half hour. Michael had stopped yelling into the microphone and was now listening intensely for orders.

"Regimental command has sent a Valkyrie for extraction! We are getting out." He yelled after he had received the order. "It is five minutes out; Six at most. Listen for callsign 'Bearer'." He informed and grabbed his lasrifle. I simply nodded in reply before switching to full auto.

"Rushers on the right! Full auto, but do not waste ammo!" I yelled into the voxbead, but the squad would have heard me anyhow. These cultists were dressed with crude armour made of welded plates. They were covered in sigils and runes that were covered in blood that had probably been sacrificed to their deity Khorne. One lost his leg after bursts of ionized air chopped it off. I fired two bursts at them before they charged at us. To my big surprise I saw that the armour actually managed to stop and sometimes deflect the lasfire directed at them.

"Shoot them in the legs!" I ordered, and held the trigger down. The result was an unsteady wall of lasbolts striking cultists in cover behind a fountain some sixty meters in front of us. It had once been gray and somewhat artistic with a pool and all, but now the grey stones were blackened and at some places blasted apart. A loud "KRAK" filled the air as a grenade was hurled at the rushers and they turned into a shower of blood, body parts and metal. I crouched down as a piece of plasma flew through the air a few inches above me. Even through my armour I could feel the heat of the blue ball of death as it passed by.

I carefully crawled up to the edge of the crater and looked at the enemy emplacements. Barricades of bodies, burnt-out wreckages, sandbags and pieces of debris served as cover for the heretics.

"Callsign Bearer is three minutes out. How is the situation on the ground? Over." The pilot of the Valkyrie asked through the vox-band. I smiled a little to myself.

"_We can get out of this!_"I cheered mentally. "Corporal Leon Growl here pilot. We have fifteen fighting guardsmen, and our officer is lost. We are holding our ground against a superior host of heretics. No sign of rocketlaunchers as of yet. Over." I replied, and brought the lasrifle up to my chin.

"FRAK!" someone screamed on the right flank as they were wounded. At least he was still alive.

"Copy that. Inbound with weapons hot, over and out." The pilot replied and left the channel.

"Two minutes till Evac!" I yelled triumphantly as the thought of getting out alive filled me with joy. It also had an audible effect on the squad as well as they cried "For the Emperor!" and "Die you heretic scum." Other variations were also used and some cried "For sergeant Vicker!" I was one of those. With bravery and zeal filling us we kept the fight going.

_Present moment_

My hatred was literally oozing out of me as I beheld her. Part of me wanted to kick, punch and hurt her in any way possible. Another part wanted her court marshalled and punished by professionals. A third part said that I should simply kill her right here and right now like she deserved. The last and by far the smallest part wanted to forgive her and pretend that nothing had ever happened and that we had survived together. However: She was a traitor and a heretic and had to die. "Please... I can explain..." She begged and looked directly into my eyes.

"Shut up." I replied angrily. She quickly closed her mouth, and something that looked like sadness swept over her face. "_Just an act for the gallery._" I convinced myself to kill the sympathy blossoming in my chest.

"Will you be a nice girl and lie still? I asked after a little thinking. I had a pair of straps that were used by arbiters to detain agitators and such. They would serve nicely as handcuffs on her as well. She nodded in silence and held her wrists together above her stomach as I got the straps out with my right hand. She made no moves as I put the rifle down. She carefully eyed the knife as I came closer.

"Roll onto your stomach." I ordered, leaving no room for discussion. She followed the order like the trained soldier she was, and placed her hands on her lower back with the wrists together like earlier. I sat down on her knees to prevent her from suddenly kicking me. It probably hurt a lot, but she did not complain. I pulled the strap around her hands and in between them as well before I closed the lock. I checked and she had no more space than to move around four millimetres inside the strap. Her pistol was still in its holster so I pulled it out and placed it in my own. I said nothing as I rolled her over onto her back.

Repeating the drill on how to scavenge ammo and other usable items from a dead guardsman or guardswoman my hands went up and down her figure after I had taken out her powercells, her knife and small nutrient bars I threw them away towards a corner. My hands felt their way along her figure to check for hidden weapons or dangerous items she might have hidden away. My hands went down from her armpits to her hips and then up her stomach and chest. Remaining as professional as possible I let my hands slip over her breasts. My cheeks blushed when I touched them. This was the first time I had ever touched a female in that "region" through my whole life. Being twenty-two of age I should have been given a medal. I could not help to notice that they... well... bounced slightly as my hands swept up to her neck to take off her helmet.

I loosened the strap and took the helmet off her head. Loose strands of hair fell out, and I saw that most of her hair was arranged into a bun on the back of her head. Her helmet was thrown over to the rest of the seized possessions. I unbuttoned the first three buttons on her jacket to check for any amulets or artefacts hanging around her neck. I found nothing but her dog tags. She wore a green tank-top underneath her jacket so I wasn't encroaching on her personal spaces. "_She's a heretic... Why do I even care about that?_" I asked myself mentally "_She is a heretic and she has no rights other than the mercy of the Emperor."_I reminded myself and steeled my mind again.

She didn't look as scared now as she had been before. I moved down to her legs and her now empty belt. My hands swept professionally along her legs. I found nothing of import, but I felt kind of sad when the search was done for some reason.

"Have you been marked yet?" I asked coolly as I stepped off her. If she had been marked with the star of Chaos then there would indeed be no mercy for her.

"No." She answered me and shook her head.

"You'd better not lie to me Vicker." I threatened and grasped the knife tighter.

"You can strip me if you like. I have nothing to hide." The answer took me by surprise. "_A trick to make me lust for her._" I thought, but answered aggressively "Maybe I will." She flinched a little at my reply, and I felt a little amused.

A glass was shattered out in the hall as it was pierced by a lasgun. I instinctively fell down on one knee, and grabbed my new pistol. I supported my right hand with my left forearm like I had done with the rifle and waited.

"Stay." I growled to Vicker without even looking at her.

"Okay." She replied as I stalked towards my rifle on the desk. When I felt the desk touch my upper thigh I holstered the gun and sheathed the knife before I picked up the rifle. My hands found their familiar positions close to the trigger and on the grip below the barrel. I threw a last glance at Vicker. Making sure she was lying still I headed out.

I looked out of the window as carefully as I could. Only a few heretics were wasting ammo now, and they were shooting at the wrong buildings. I did not even think about taking a shot at them this time. I had no interest in fighting back an enemy patrol on my own. Now that I looked at them I saw that there were over two hundred soldiers down there. I saw at least three heavy bolters with ammo, four improvised motorized vehicles were also carrying ammunition-boxes. They were like ours, but the Aquila had been burned or scraped off. Also they had a lot of slaves, but I would have guessed no more than eighty.

"_Headed for the front._" I thought as they were moving again. They were marching towards the explosions on the horizon. They would probably have to dig in and defend themselves for now. I could clearly see more explosions on the outskirts of the town than in the imperial emplacements. At least thirty regiments with armoured detachments and artillery were guarding the city, and right now I should have been among them. Fighting in a trench was preferable to being stuck here. Still, I would do my duty to the Emperor till the end. At the moment that meant guerrilla-warfare. That meant traps, escape-routes, hit and run and A LOT of scavenging. I remembered back to basic training on my home-planet of Orask. Simple things like a grenade with a tripwire could cause casualties. I had once been very close to one, and because of it I had a large purple scar over the right side of my ribcage where a piece of a wall had hit me. Another clever little devil was of course spikes coated in any hazardous material. A slow death would be guaranteed for the person stepping on it unless they of course had a very good medic on the spot or the person had a superior immune-system. The thinking of basic training also brought back other memories. The blue skies and vast oceans of Orask seemed like paradise to me. To come home to my mother and father in our house on one of the agricultural continents and taste the first harvest of the year felt like a dream. Mother had always baked good muffins on Sundays. I had personally made the chocolate ones with a cream coating my favourite.

An explosion brought me back to where I was as a Basilisk or Lemann Russ tank shot way above its target and landed in the city a few blocks away. I checked the watch on my left wrist as the memories of home faded away. It was eight forty-seven local time and night would fall soon.

"_Nothing more to do today._" I decided. To say that it had been a rough day was an understatement. I had seen my friends get slaughtered for nothing, the memory of running through enemy fire still gave me shivers as I could swear that I had heard a demon howl behind me and last but not least the feeling that I was alone filled me.

"_At least I am the last Imperial._" I corrected as I remembered Vicker in the room behind me. Her full name was Caroline Vicker, and she too was from Orask. Now however we were mortal enemies. The thought struck me that I would have to sleep with my enemy tonight. I would not sleep with her of course, but at least in the same room. I had to keep an eye on her after all. I let out a short laugh as I hung my rifle by its sling onto my back. It was going to be the last laugh I would probably have in a while.

I turned around and looked down onto the floor. Leaving dead cultists in the hall would not be a smart thing to do. I bent over and grabbed the robe of the one with a limp leg and pulled him into the office beside the one I had Vicker in. I would have to burn them at a later date I decided. I would not leave their taint alone to fester. The bodies were all pulled into the office and I saw on the way that there was two men and one female. The only thing that told them apart were the bodily features since they wore exquisite silken masks of fine making that covered their faces. I was careful to not touch their desecrated and unholy weapons as I dumped them in there with them. I had torn off some of the silken fabric and used that instead of my gloves to carry the weapons. After I was done I recited prayers of cleansing and protection to the Emperor. The silk was discarded as I walked out. The silk had been really smooth, but I did not want it. Excess of comfort was a path to Slaanesh.

"Are we safe?" Vicker asked from the floor as I closed the door behind me. I turned and looked at her as she was now sitting with her back to the wooden desk.

"Get up." I ordered, omitting her question. The fact that I couldn't see her hands was dangerous. She could have gotten out of the straps, and were going to attack me.

With some experimenting and almost falling she got up on two legs. She was ten centimetres lower than me, and I was 183cm so she was rather tall.

"Turn around." I ordered when she did not make a move. I had my rifle at my hip now and it was on full-auto mode. The barrel was aimed at her and she knew it. She tried to keep her eyes on me as she turned around. I relaxed when I saw that the straps were in place and securely locked.

"Are we safe?" She asked again, sounding more worried this time.

"I am. You aren't." I answered her, making it clear that I could kill her at any time I liked. "At least for the moment." I added. "The enemy knows someone is taking shots at them in this area." I said and almost called her "Sir" and I think she noticed, but she was smart enough to avoid pointing it out. I pulled my own helmet off and walked over to her. I stared her right into her eyes and asked"Why did you sell us out?" I was calm and collected, but my anger was not far away. At the moment however it was sealed away in an imaginary bomb-shell, and that bomb shell could go off it was disturbed.

"Why do you want to know?" she asked back after a little hesitation.

"Because I fracking deserve to!" I almost yelled back in anger. I managed to keep my voice down, but she realized how angry I was.

"I did not sell you out." She answered as she came a little closer.

"Liar." I replied. "Tell me the truth." I ordered angrily and pushed her back. She was taken by surprise and ended up falling on top of the desk with her back down.

She managed to get up into a sitting position and answered "It is the truth." I stared angrily into her eyes and she stubbornly stared back. No one gave quarter so I just had to come with a theory.

"You sold us out so you could live through this shit. Free drugs and a huge choice of partners... must have been tempting." I said in an effort to anger her, but it was also a probable solution in my head.

"How the hell dare you speak to me like that?" She raged and rushed to her feet. She was easily stopped as her chest collided with the barrel of my rifle.

"How dare you speak like that to me heretic?" I spat the last word as an insult. She clearly took the insult straight to her heart as she flinched at the word. My former sergeant took a step back and looked down. "I have all day," I said "and I expect an answer." I finished, and kept staring at her.

"I did it to save you. I sold myself so that the cultists would open up a route for you to retreat through." She said and looked up at my rifle. Once again sadness filled her face. "They opened the route and I ordered your retreat." She went on and gathered her willpower. "I blame you for their deaths." She said at last and looked straight into my eyes. My first reaction was to pull the trigger, but I managed to hold my trigger finger in place.

"Lie down." I ordered her as calmly as possible when I had gotten my anger back in check. She saw that resisting my orders would not be a good thing to do. The only two reasons that she was still alive was because I had been too surprised to shoot her when I found her and that I had to find the truth about why we were sacrificed. She lay down on the floor and I ordered her to hold her hands close to one of the legs of the desk. After she had complied I tied her to it using the other strap I had in my possession. "Stay." I ordered after my work was done and walked out into the now empty hall. I would stay on guard for a few hours before night fell. I did not want to be in the same room as the traitor for a few hours.

The city was burning in some places, but it would not spread here. I could see the explosions more clearly, and I could almost swear that I could see lasfire on the outskirts of the city. I doubted that the Imperial army attempted to take back the city at the moment, but rather the cultists were trying to break out.

I checked my rifle took up position by a window and waited.


	2. Squaring Up

It turned out to be quite a long night before I finally went to sleep. On the outskirts of the city I had seen fire fights start and end with no one making any progress. A few lonely patrols had made their way past the building, but I had not dared to take any shots. Here was an ideal ambush site, and also my base of operations. I would not have it compromised for the death of a small patrol. Around three o'clock I had gone to sleep in the room with Vicker. She seemed so peaceful when she was sleeping. Had I been from another regiment I would immediately have submitted myself to her command. I had to work to remember that she was a cultist and not my superior officer. I had chuckled a little bit when I found out that this was the first time I saw a heretic sleep. When I woke up a grey light shone through the window in the hallway. I carefully listened for any alarming sounds, but found none. I lifted my head from my improvised pillow which consisted of my helmet and my shirt. My jacket had been my blanket for the night since I did not have one at the moment. I quickly checked the room, and found my weapons where I had left them. If Vicker had tried to do anything I would have woken up since I slept very lightly. Though it had been a nightmare earlier I thought it would be useful now if anyone ever came to visit us. When I looked over to her I saw that she was fast asleep. I lifted my arm as silently as possible and checked my watch. The dials showed me that it was half past eight in the morning.

"_Time to get up._" I thought and pulled the jacket off me. The cold air immediately attacked my exposed skin where my shirt would have covered it, but there now was nothing. The cold did not bother me that much in fact. I had seen so much worse cold than this when we had been stationed at some desolate, frozen planet to cause trouble for the Tau. It hadn't been a very successful guerrilla campaign, but we had managed to disable a few tanks, eliminate a few patrols and officers, and of course delivered intelligence back to HQ which had been a lunar class vessel up in space. The Tau had thought that a cloaking device could hide them from the sight of the Emperor, but they had been proven so devastatingly wrong. I smiled a little when thought back to the time on Beroghast. All that time lying still in waiting and observing. When fighting had come we had almost begged for Vicker to take us with her. No one would be begging her for anything anymore however. The sight of her tore me out of the memories. To think that I had served so willingly under a traitor and a heretic felt like a direct blow to my pride. For years I had taken orders from my most hated enemy. Rage ran rampant through my mind as I thought about what she could have put us through for her dark gods. In my mind I started analyzing every unexplained ambush from the forces of Chaos we had been victims of. Could they have been her orchestrations? Could all my dead comrades be her sacrifices to the evils we had all been fighting? That trail of thought went away when I heard my stomach rumble. I did not feel very hungry, but it would be smart of me to eat something none the less. I quickly checked the pockets on my tactical vest for any small nutrient bars. I quickly found two corn-based bars that could be described as edible if you had plenty of water in the vicinity. I only had a few mouthfuls, and that would not be enough to last me and Vickers more than a day.

"_Priority one: Get water._" I thought and sighed. It was raining outside so an option was to put mugs and different containers up on the roof, but that would be visible from the air. However I doubted that anyone would want to check out something like that and I had seen plenty of mugs and pots that I could gather water in, but when I was to go and gather them then I would be very visible. I had no wish to be visited by a large squad of cultists or a Valkyrie with a bolter. I wanted to survive this, and then I had to be careful. For now however I would go with the mugs. I stood up and carefully made my way out of the office. I stopped for a few seconds and listened for footsteps. I wanted to be as sure as possible that there were no-one in the building with me. The only things I heard was the dulled explosions from the front and various machines working somewhere in the city. What they were for I did not know, but they were probably tanks or some foul machinery of chaos. I slung my rifle onto my back and walked over to the office next to mine. I walked in and did a quick overview. There were no traps or artefacts that I could see. On the desk table which was like every other desk in the building I saw my prize: A cup. There was nothing special about it. It was gray and dull like my uniform, but being of that colour it was very hard to spot when just flying past or overhead. I walked over to it and grabbed it. The porcelain felt cold to my fingers, but I did not bother. I could not transport many of them at the time though. They would clatter against each other and cause one hell of a racket. I pulled out of the office and closed the door behind me before I moved on to the next one. There I found another cup of the same colour. Both were without markings or insignias of any kind. I found two more cups before I walked over to the staircase. Two of the cups were hanging from the hooks for grenades and two others were in a pocket. They made little sound as I walked into the darkness of the stairwell. It was as oppressing as it had been yesterday, but now I did not have the threat of heretics hanging over my head. I stopped and listened again. One could never be too sure. In here even the sound of the warmachines were muted or at least dampened. I had no idea how high this building was, but I hoped that it wasn't too tall. Slowly I started my ascension to the roof. I had to walk eleven stories before I reached the door leading out on the roof. It had been locked, but some attention from the stock of my rifle solved that problem. It cracked open and I changed the grip on my rifle so I held it normally again. I raised the barrel and placed it in the small gap between the door and the doorframe. My eyes fell on the gray skies and I could see a burst of 20mm shells fly into the air towards a target I could not see. I looked onto the roofs next to mine. If there were any lookouts or snipers I would have to kill them before they saw me. My earplug crackled a little as it made faint contact with a transmitter far away. No understandable noise came through so I turned the sound down until it was barely audible. If there came any orders I would like to hear them. My roof was flat and tiled like the roofs around. The door opened slowly as I pushed it with my barrel. More and more of the city revealed itself to me and so did the battlefield. Even though it was far away I could see a thin line of trenches. Shooting had died down, but I was in no doubt that the line still belonged to the Imperium. The Aquila flew high on banners along it making sure to show the heretics that they faced a righteous force. Once again I turned my focus to the roofs. The door was halfway open when I jerked to a halt. On a roof across the street there stood a soldier in a uniform like mine, but with a foul red colour on it. His back was turned, but he was looking around.

"_A lookout_" I thought and closed the door quickly and got my scope out. Out of strategic reasons I considered not killing him, but a single thought returned to my mind. "_Suffer not the heretic to live_" My mind was made up and I mounted the scope. There would be no hope for the enemy guardsman at this range. I raised my barrel took up position behind the door. My breathing was quick, but I slowed it down. I would need to be calm. I only had one shot. "3, 2, 1!" I whispered before I pushed the door open and took aim. The enemy was halfway turned and I could see his rifle. He too had a scope mounted, but it was designed for longer range than mine. He barely managed to turn around before his chest was pierced twice on each side. He could not make a single sound as he fell down dead with a low thud. As quickly as I could I pulled the cups out from pockets and off hooks before I placed them all on the floor with space in between. I did not want them to look organized or anything. I rushed back in through my door and listened for activity from the other building. The shots had probably not caused much of a fuss among the enemy for no sounds of alarm came from anywhere. No noises came from below either so I was safe for the moment.

A minute later I was back in the office with Vicker. She was still asleep, but I would end that. The peaceful look on her face vanished as my boot connected with her stomach. It wasn't hard or especially forceful, but it still left her gasping for air. "Good morning sergeant!" I said ceremoniously with bitterness. I sat on the desk and waited while she fought to regain her breath. Her hair got ruffled up and her skin had a bright red as she coughed and coughed. There were no windows behind us and the door was closed so I was confident that no one would hear her. I got my canteen out and unscrewed the cork. She would at least get something to drink. When she finally calmed down I pulled her up into a sitting position against the desk. She looked angrily at me until I held up. She knew better than to resist. I lifted the canteen and poured carefully into her mouth so that no drop was spilled. "We have to save as much water as we can. Drink only of you absolutely need to." I said and tried to not sound friendly. It still felt a little unusual being so harsh to her, but I would get used to it. She drank eagerly what little water I gave her. I gave her two mouthfuls, a rough estimation, and I would give her more later.

"What is the situation then?" She asked when I lifted the canteen away from her lips.

"Not a concern of yours." I replied coolly. She got a poker-face on. She wanted to know, and was a little bit insulted, but knew well enough to keep her mouth shut. "Can I trust you to stay quiet in here for a little while? I have to go outside and check the situation." I said plainly and took a mouthful of water. I felt a little disgusted as I felt the wet canteen on my mouth. "_Sharing water with a heretic._" I scoffed and drank. I wished I had wiped off her saliva, but now it was too late. I cleaned it after I was done drinking and screwed the cap back on.

"I am sure I can stay here. Is there any entertainment for me here though?" She asked back. I wasn't sure if she was mocking me or asking honestly. I had a response ready. She had been in here with Slaaneshi cultists and I would turn that on her. I turned around and sat down so we sat face to face,

"I think that a servant of pleasure and ecstasy can... entertain... herself." I said, trying to sound as insulting as possible. Judging by the look on her face I was successful. "Anyways... I am headed out, and you would do well to stay here without causing any trouble."

"Understood... Sir," Vicker replied with a smile on her face. The "Sir" had made a slight tingle pass through me, but I quickly shrugged it off.

"_More of her games!_" I thought and stood up. "Temptation will not work on me heretic." I said and walked over to the door, feeling a little sure that she would stay here.

I closed the door behind me as she slowly sang "Goodbye," in a very creepy way. I tried to remain unnerved by it, but it was hard. To have my commander change in such a drastic way over the course of twenty-four hours was really strange and unsettling. She was meant to be a leader of and a good example for the men fighting for the Imperium, but she had betrayed all of it in a heartbeat. She had become the lowly beast that she had sworn to fight until her dying breath for the honour of the Emperor. I would not fail like her. I sent a quick look out of the window to see if there was anyone outside either patrolling or keeping a lookout. I saw no one on the street and I spent the next minute checking the surrounding buildings through the scope of my rifle. There was nothing to be found, but I did a second check just to be sure. In the meantime I was the only man in this city who was still fighting for the Emperor, and I wanted to remain alive at least. The damage one man could do was immense if he played his cards right and had the Emperor with him. I had the Emperor on my side that I was sure of. I quickly walked down the hall and down the staircase. A dead cultist lay on the ground where I had shot him dead yesterday. He hadn't noticed me since he had been too busy sticking himself with a foul injection of some sort. The syringe lay smashed on the floor. The street outside was quiet and I snuck out of the front door. I crouched down along the wall and looked both ways. Tiretracks was the only thing that betrayed the presence of a military force in the area. I could not hear the artillery down here so there was nothing disturbing my listening. I checked the safety on my rifle with my finger and it was off. When nothing could either be heard or seen, I started moving down the street along the wall. My progress was slow and I was always looking around. I was headed for Garland square. There were some tall buildings that we had fortified and I could easily sow confusion among the enemy there. It would be even better if I could find a squad of traitor guardsmen, get on the floor below them and start shooting at cultists or chaos marines below. The ensuing firefight would be most satisfying. Also if there were any mines or explosives I could scavenge, I would be very happy. They were perhaps the most effective weapon I could get. My lasrifle wasn't strong enough to pierce the armour of Chaos Marines, but an explosion could possibly buy me enough time to slip away. In the distance I heard the rumbling of an engine, but it was faint. I stopped and listened if it was getting closer, but it seemed to stay in the distance so I kept walking. I reached Garland square without any hostile encounters, and I had steeled myself for what I would have to face there. The Valkyrie still lay where it had been shot down and the shell of the machine of war was now scorched and smoking. I hid behind some debris and parts of a the building next to me that had been shot out. The square was really big, and now that I saw it in its entirety a I felt a little proud for my squad. Fifteen guardsmen and guardswomen had held off an enemy with superior numbers and denied them access to the square which had been a centre of mobilization, transport and resupplying when the fighting was restricted to the city. Many groups of cultists were scurrying about with cashes or pieces of metal and loaded them up in chimaeras that forces of Chaos had captured and converted. The closest group was no less than sixty metres away from me, and I had hit smaller targets that had been at the same distance, but I did not even raise my rifle. My plan to head up into the buildings would be much more effective. A head on assault would only let the enemy know I was here, and they would start a small manhunt to get me. I put my rifle on my back and pulled Vikers pistol out. It would be much easier to use in close quarters. When the band of cultists turned their back on me, I leaped from my hiding-place and ran through the closest door and took cover. No alarm was raised, and It did not look as if I was spotted. The architecture here looked to be the same as the building I had made my base in. I snuck over to the stairs and walked up them. I would have to get at least up ten stories to get a good enough overlook over the square. I did not bother with walking silently, but I wasn't barging up either. The cultists and traitor guardsmen would probably be used to some activity. The walk was long and I heard some indistinct chatter when I passed the seventh floor. The door was a little open and I looked in. A squad of traitor guardsmen in red and cultists in purple. They looked to be too heavily armed for me to take on, but I would leave them a small present none the less. I pulled a piece of thin wire and tied it around the banister and the lower hinge and fastened the grenade to it by the hinge. When anyone passed through this door they would soon pass on and hopefully take a few friends along with them. When I was done I kept walking and listened for the explosion, but it did not come. When I reached the ninth floor, I saw that there was another squad inside, and they were busy picking apart a bolter. Luckily the crew had managed to spend all the ammo. Now though they lay dead at the other end of the corridor in a pile alongside the other men that had fallen in defence of this floor. The enemies here were traitor guardsmen only and were thus a priority target for me. There is no worse crime than to turn your back on the Emperor, and only the most morally degraded individuals would be able to do it. I made a grenade-trap again and walked up another floor when I was done and after checking that the hall was clear, I walked in. There were no marks of battle here, but I would fix that soon enough. I fastened the scope properly now, and walked down the hall. I stopped approximately when the bolter was below me, kneeled and supported my rifle on the windowsill. I scanned each and every target down on the ground to see if there were any markings of an officer, but there cultists all looked just as ragged ad filthy or delicately dressed. This would indeed take some patience.

After kneeling and observing for the better part of an hour I had seen many cultists come and go and traitor guardsmen had come on patrol. Rage had seared through me when I lay my eyes upon them, but after a while I found that there was one with More jewellery and finer clothing than the rest of them, and he seemed to be giving out orders. As I aimed my rifle at him, I started whispering a chant I had been taught when I was just a recruit.

"My armour is contempt, my shield disgust, my sword hatred! In the Emperor's name! Let none survive!" I exhaled and pulled the trigger. My shot went straight through the torso of the cultist, and another shot followed quickly and the cultist fell to the ground with blood pouring out onto his fine gown. Shouts of confusion ensued and the cultists below looked unsure about what was happening, but when I shot another one there was no question about what was going on. The cultists fired whatever crude weapons they had at me and it did not take long before I heard screams of wounded soldiers below. They returned fire within seconds and the firefight had started. The cultists dispersed and took cover where it could be found and as they ran their steps were haunted by lasfire from the traitors below me. I was about to start laughing when a stray burst of lasfire hit just a metre to my left. I threw myself down as an explosion below rocked the staircase and dust was blown down the hall. I grinned when I heard the pained screams of the unlucky enemy. I got back up on my feet and looked down. Quite a few cultists were sitting ducks and I would not let a chance go by to lessen the power that Chaos held over this city. I raised my rifle and took aim. My shot would blend in with the rest that was pouring down on the cultists. I prioritized those with long range weapons and when I found my first target I heard a second explosion, but this one was further down the stairway. My shot went through his chest right where his neck began. His comrade jumped away and landed flat on his back. I quickly aimed at him and fired a burst. Two of the shots hit him, but the third missed him with at least twenty centimetres. I was a fairly accurate marksman, and quite a few of the cultists got to experience that before I took the scope off and headed towards the staircase. Movement in one of the streets to the right caught my eye. At least thirty men dressed in red armour came marching with their weapons in hand and immediately opened fire on the cultists. They were flanked and out-manned, but they managed to flock together and head into a large office-building on the left. They took up defensive positions there and returned fire. However they were no match for the organized assault of the traitor guardsmen. At least that is what I thought. When the first squad of guardsmen, they couldn't have been more than fifteen, came to the front of the building and was about to enter, a band of cultists jumped up in the windows of the first floor and fired shotguns at them. A few had been lying outside and had faked that they were dead, but they too jumped up and fired their weapons and the squad was annihilated. The cultists retreated back into the building and the assault stopped. I was a little intrigued by the sudden ingenuity and resilience of the cultists, and almost felt like putting my scope back on and help them out a little, but that might give me away. The firefight dragged on, and no end was in sight.

I checked my watch and the time was a quarter to two. Even through it was always nice watching your enemy fight itself, but after sitting still for an hour up there, I was getting a little bored of it. Another squad of guardsmen and a rather large group of cultists had joined in on the fighting, but they were only exchanging fire and neither side advanced. The squads in this building had headed out onto the streets and gotten involved in fighting there so I had an escape route, but I wouldn't leave until I was absolutely sure that I would not be seen. That would only serve to make the enemy more united against me since they could blame the fighting today on me. I was a little surprised that no one had come to stop the fighting, but let it go on. I wondered if this was normal within the forces of Chaos, but then how were they able to organize themselves against us if they were constantly fighting each other? Their forces had to be truly immense, or better trained than what I had thought. The fighting took a turn when the traitor guardsmen fired a rocket-launcher into the building and stormed forwards with grenades. They managed to throw a few into the building, but most of the chargers were shot down like the sick dogs they were, but the cultists were surprised and caught off guard so they weren't as well prepared for the second charge that went along the flank farthest away from me. The charge actually got inside the building, and a third charge came after a minute and the first floor was secured. Now was my time to get away. I ran to the staircase and went down as fast as I could. I jumped over the holes my grenades had made, and the stairs creaked dangerously and seemed to give way when I landed too hard on a step. There was no stopping however and I kept running down in the darkness.

I reached the first floor and ran into cover there with my rifle ready. I hadn't taken the time to scavenge anything, but I would have the opportunity to do that tomorrow too or perhaps later today. I looked outside and saw that everyone was busy with the fighting which had intensified. The view wasn't as good down here, but there was definitely a very large group of cultists on the opposite side of the square and they were thrashing the traitor guardsmen. A few of the traitor guardsmen had retreated to the fountain and were set up there. A rocket flew through the air and tore a air of cultists to shreds, and that was probably my best chance to get away. I bolted out of the door and followed the wall for five metres before I threw myself around the corner, over the debris and into cover. The sound of battle was echoing in the square, and I could hear the sound of another rocket hitting its target. Pained and ecstatic screams followed in its wake. I had no wish to watch further and I laid down on the ground and crawled away. There was more than enough chaos here for the moment. I hoped that Vicker hadn't gotten loose or anything. I put as much distance between me and the battlefield as I felt necessary before I stood up and jogged quickly back to my base.


	3. Trip to the Frontline

"Back already? Missing me that much?" Vicker teased when I walked in. I did not give her the satisfaction of a reply and checked her restraints before I took my vest and helmet off. The jogging had made me sweat. "You missed a few good explosions while you were out sneaking about; I think I have counted at least three exploding vehicles since you so gracefully woke me up this morning."

"You can consider yourself lucky you are allowed to wake up, now be quiet!" I replied and sat down against the wall. I had deserved a short breather. My hands were still shaking from the adrenaline of the battle. I hardly noticed it when I was in the thick of it, but afterwards it looked as if electricity was pumping through me. I knew it shouldn't, but I got my canteen out and drank half a mouthful. The cups on the roof had probably gotten some water in them by now, but I would let them stay up there a bit longer. I would not stay here long.

"How many cultists did you kill?" She asked. I glared at her.

"Worried about your friends?" I countered and she looked down. "In the eyes of the Emperor they were already dead. I just served his will, and to which extent I succeeded will be judged by him and not you. Heretic." I spat. My hands has almost stopped shaking, but anger returned at just the thought of the traitor guardsmen. "The enemy is fighting amongst himself, and that is all you need to know." I went on. She did not reply and I kept my glare on her. The more I studied her the more I failed to understand how I had not seen her betrayal coming sooner. Now that I was free to keep my eyes on her, I could see the signs more clearly. She looked better than your average army-broad and she had always been liberal with army regulations. She had been acting as if she was one of the soldiers so that she could take some of us with her. My hatred for her rose to new levels. If disgust was my shield and contempt my armour then I should have been made a tank and not human.

"The more my eyes rest on your foul taint, the more I see it clearer and clearer." I said and she looked up at me. "Do not think that your foul gods will help you or corrupt my soul witch."

"How can I corrupt what is already infested with the plague of doubt?" She asked and smiled. I rushed to my feet.

"Watch your mouth witch! The only reason I keep you alive is so that you can be brought before the Inquisition!" I shouted, forgetting for a moment the importance of silence.

"Do you know what I think?" I shook my head.

"I care little for the thoughts of heretics as you, but indulge me." I replied sourly.

"I think you are too weak to kill me. That somewhere inside you there is a piece of you that wishes to make me return to the Emperor's grace..." She stopped, but I knew her well. There was more insult to come. "I wondered while you were away... If you kept me alive for another purpose..." I took a step back now as a seductive and demonic smile crept over her face. "Being alone behind enemy lines must feel lonely corporal." She tried her best to seduce me, and I fought to keep the blush back. My mind had not wandered down those dark paths before.

I put my vest back on and stood up. "I am feeling kind today, so I'll leave the water here with you." I said and unfastened my canteen from my belt. "Don't waste it." I warned her and threw it down on the floor within reach of her hands.

"Thank you sir!" She replied with faked politeness. The door closed with a creaking sound behind me and I walked down the hall towards the stairs. The sound of artillery came from the frontlines, and I cast a quick glance towards the distant parts I could see. The Aquila was still standing strong in the face of Chaos. I found courage in them.

"My brothers and sisters are not far away." I said to myself and sent them a mental salute.

The streets below were empty and the corpses from yesterday were gone as far as I could see. I felt like I had been a little overly aggressive with Vicker, but she deserved. "My sword is hatred," I reminded myself as I walked through the doors and down the stairs. "My shield is disgust". She was a heretic and deserved no mercy. She did not deserve my consideration, and just thinking about her was a waste of mental capacity that could be put to better use fighting the forces of Chaos. When I walked down, I was thinking about placing a trap here, both in case Vicker tried to run away and if some enemy patrol wandered into this building. I did not have any grenades left, but I could probably get my hands on some. They would most likely carry the taint of Chaos. Something easier like spikes would be effective too, but they would be useless against targets with heavy armour, and if I did a wrong step, I would get my arse handed to me by my own trap. A grenade would be simpler and far more effective. Few people could survive the blast of a grenade in a small space and if there were some big chunks of stairs flying through the air, it helped drastically lessen the chances of survival.

"_Definitely a grenade-trap._" I decided, and fantasized about impaled traitors and shredded heretics lying at the bottom of the staircase or hanging from the walls. Deciding it was too distracting; I ended the fantasy, and kept walking. I had no fear of meeting an enemy here, but I liked to stay on my toes. I came down the stairs and after checking that the coast was clear, I walked out onto the street. This time I turned left however and headed towards the front and not the centre of the city. My mission now was mostly scouting and gaining intelligence. I clung closer and closer to the walls of the buildings as the sound of artillery came closer and closer. I watched every window and alley carefully. There was bound to be more patrols the closer I got to the front. After walking for half an hour, I ran into the first sign of trouble. It was at an intersection when a squad of Blood Pact soldiers came marching. There was a wreckage of a transport of some kind a few metres in front of me. I jumped forwards as far as I could and crawled the rest of the distance until I was safely behind cover. I closed my eyes to try to listen more closely to what they were saying. All I picked up was something about a pair of artillery guns. I opened my eyes and peeked over the burnt-out wreckage. Now that I had time to see and study the men on the road I also saw what was in between them. The men marched in squares, inside the squares there were Chimaeras, and they were pulling big siege-canons behind them. The formations were so dense that I had problems identifying what kind of artillery it was, but if they were this heavily protected and were towed instead of mounted on something; they had to big and probably packed one hell of a punch. Luckily, for me the enemy crossed my path instead of followed it and I just had to wait patiently for them to pass. I did not like sitting idle as the enemies of the Emperor marched a few dozen feet in front of me. The temptation to raise my rifle and empty a magazine on full auto into the flank of the convoy was constantly nagging me. The only thing keeping me from doing so was the knowledge that I could do much more damage later if I did not waste my life in an unwinnable fight like this. During my training, I had adopted the motto or code of the Krieg Death Corps. To die for the Emperor is the highest honour one can achieve, but one should not throw away one's life in battle either. Basically : Take with you as many of the enemy as you can before you die. I kept a good look on my enemy and if some of them cast glances over at the wreckage, I was hiding behind, I did not move. The human eyes were much more probable to pick up movement rather than a small object that was standing still. While I was waiting, I took some of the ashes and rubbed them in my face. I did not have any of the paint we normally used, but ashes would make a good substitute. The convoy passed after marching for five minutes and then I emerged from cover. I crossed their path and stuck the road.

Along the way, I encountered quite a lot of patrols, but I always managed to hide from them. The artillery never died down and when the ground was shaking sufficiently I kicked down a door and headed up a pair of stairs. I had never realized that guerrilla-warfare in a city meant this much stairs and I chuckled a little at it. The stairs didn't creak so they had been in use not too long ago. I placed my rifle on my back and pulled the pistol out instead. It would be easier to manoeuvre in small spaces with a pistol rather than a rifle. I made my way up to the top of the stairs and walked out onto the roof. There were no snipers around. At least none that I could see. The front was much clearer now. I could even make out a few of the bolter-positions in the imperial line. I exited onto the roof. Luckily, for me it was empty and so I rushed over to the edge and took cover. Finding my rifle, I had clear view of the frontline. The imperial line was too thin to hold the enemy for long. The trenches had taken severe beatings and the only thing holding the enemy back it seemed was artillery and bolters. The forces of chaos were unleashing troops and heavy fire onto the imperial lines, and I stood helpless to do anything. Had there been three more of me, or even just one, I could have wreaked havoc on the enemy. My vox was crammed with static, and the messages were for the most part impossible to understand. Helplessness fell over me. How could I, a single guardsman make a difference? How could I? I laid there for many hours, watching, thinking.

"Is surrender and option?" I thought, at one point, but it was not. Heavy artillery was rolled out behind cover from the imperial lines, and they opened fire. They were easy pickings, but I stayed my hand. Round after round went off, and crashed into imperial lines, sending earth and rocks flying through the air. Each explosion echoed through the air. Men died, but I stayed my hand. Blowing a speck of dust off the barrel, I noticed a lookout a few roofs to my left. He kept his eyes mainly towards the front before he walked away again. He wore the red of the Blood Pact. He reported some thing to his superiors, most likely, and walked back into the building. The skies were black, showing no signs of letting the sun come through. I looked back at the imperial lines, and what I saw astounded me. A large company, no... An entire platoon charged straight towards enemy lines. The aquilla flew strongly in the wind. Lasfire flew back and forth between the traitors and guardsmen. Taking cover in craters, the guardsmen advanced slowly. Bolters covered them and laid down heavy fire on the enemies in defiance of the artillery. My earpiece crackled to life, and the clear voice of the officer barking out his orders entered my ear. Such undoubting will and purpose... It was what I needed.

"The guns must be silenced! Lay down your lives if must be men! The guns must be silenced!" He shouted, and his men advanced. He was right. The guns had to be silenced.

"Orders understood sir! Guerilla-unit is engaging." I replied, and raised my rifle.

"Who the hell is this?" The officer replied, sounding quite confused.

"Corporal Leon Growl, last imperial guardsman in the city. I am overlooking the artillery, and I can take the crews out from a distance." I answered. The attacking force halted. I adjusted my sight, and aimed for a man appearing to be a spotter. The order I was given was simple.

"Engage!" And I fired. The recoil shook my body, and the helplessness dissolved completely. The spotter fell down dead with a smoking hole through the back of his neck. I had aimed a little lower, but the result was none the less satisfying. Shifting my rifle to the left, I fired five shots in quick succession, wounding two crewmen and knocking their aiming-instruments off. I exhaled, and picked new targets. The men in the field remained stationary and did their best to return fire. Two more fell to my lasfire before the rest of the crewmen realized they were under fire. The tried in vain to take cover behind boxes of ammo, or behind the guns. Wood and metal was pierced by the overclocked rifle in my hands. "Damn fine work corporal." The officer said, and the platoon slowly started pulling back.

"What the hell are you doing?" I shouted back. "I can take down their bolters! Storm the line and capture it in the name of The Emperor!" I shouted into the vox-bead.

"We cannot corporal! Escape, and stay alive. Captain Kessick out!" He shouted right back at me, and cut the line. The platoon slowly retreated back to the trenches they came from.

"Coward," I whispered, and shot the entire crew of a heavy lasgun. They should have kept up the attack. I could take down every heavy weapon, and a shitload of infantry. The assault would go smother today, than it might ever do. Today they had my support, but I might be dead tomorrow. I might be dead a week from now. "Coward." I whispered again when they were all back in their trench. I looked through my scope, and saw the enemy regroup in their trenches. Normal firefighting resumed, and I displaced, leaving the forces of Chaos behind to find nothing.


End file.
